Iona cloisters by images@twistonVia Flickr:Iona cloisters - The cloisters at Iona Abbey.
The abbey is located on the holy Isle of Iona, just off the Isle of Mull on the west coast of Scotland. Iona is considered the birthplace of Christianity in Scotland; St Columba founded the Benedictine monastery on the island in AD 563 and is thus regarded as the most holy place in Scotland.

MONK #1: what part of the knight do fish go onMONK #2: the headMONK #1: thanksMONK #2: oh absolutelyno problem at allMONK #1: both lying flatwise across the head, or…?MONK #2: no one on each sidelike earsMONK #1: ok great

MONK #1: so when a dog and a bird make outMONK #2: rightMONK #1: it’s usually the bird that’s on topright?MONK #2: yeahusuallyMONK #1: great

MONK #1: hey is it owls or people that live in caves and build fires?MONK #2: owls

MONK #1: hey roughly what size are sparrowsMONK #2: mmit kind of dependsMONK #1: likeAS big as a treeor not quite as big as a tree?MONK #2: oh pretty much the same size as a tree

MONK #1: can cows sail boats?MONK #2: hahaha nocommon misconceptionthey have to put wheels on the boat and roll it over land

MONK #1: what do birds eatMONK #2: other birds mostlyMONK #1: like different kinds of birds, or something elseMONK #2: no birds only eat exactly the same kind of birds that they are

MONK #1: what kind of bird tucks people into bed at nightusually I meanMONK #2: any birdany kind of walking birdMONK #1: and when it tucks you in, people usually look…MONK #2: incredibly worriedit’s incredibly worrying when the bedbird tucks you in

MONK #1: ugh sorry to bother you againMONK #2: no no its finethis is what i’m here forwhat is itMONK #1: what part of a goat is a snail againlike the front end or the back endMONK #2: what part do you feel like should be the snail partMONK #1: the back part?MONK #2: you shouldnt doubt yourselfyou know more about goats than you give yourself credit for

Justo Gallego Martínez is using found
materials to build a cathedral in Spain
all by himself. He’s been working on
the project ever since being kicked out
of a monastery 50 years ago, which
inspired him to begin construction on
a church of his own. SourceSource 2

Visiting Taung Kalat, Myanmar’s Mountaintop Monastery

For more photos from Mount Popa and Taung Kalat, explore the Mount Popa location page.

Perched on top of a volcanic plug in central Myanmar is Taung Kalat monastery, home to 37 နတ်‌—"nats", or spiritual demigods—and a dramatic panoramic view. Located 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Mount Popa, the extinct volcano that once formed this 737-meter (2,417-foot) thumb, Taung Kalat draws pilgrims and tourists who are willing to climb its 777 stairs to reach the gilded rooftops and Buddhas above.

The stairs—a sacred site in their own right—were once maintained by the famed Buddhist hermit U Khandi. The compound is also home to a horde of macaques, where they pose for tourists and snatch their unattended bags in the hope of finding a snack.